How can hamsters get wet tail

So give your hamster as much bedding as he needs, start with the 3 paper towels and see if he needs more. If you put 1 more he will take it, but see if he can move around well in his nest.

When I lifted his hideout, and saw the pile of while paper towel strips, I was not surprised. But when I saw his food stash, I was impressed. The little furball had a stash for the Apocalypse right there. And try not to disturb his nest unless you absolutely have to. More on that later. Honestly the bedding stays clean as in not smelly for up to 2 weeks, but I recommend changing it every week.

This applies especially to the corners where the hamster pees. Then, pat dry with paper towel and place new sand.

But never let the bedding go for more than 2 weeks. It becomes stale and a bit funky past that point. How often to change the nesting for your hamster The nest itself is relatively clean and will not need changing more often than the bedding itself. So the nest can be left alone for up to 2 weeks, but I personally change it once per week.

When I change it I make sure I keep a few pieces of the old nest, to place in his new nest in his hideout. A word from Teddy Long read, I know. But us hamsters need a bit of special care, so I hope you found all the information you need in this article.

If you want to check out more important info on hamsters, then read the articles below. Being a responsible hamster parent means being able to know how to properly take care of your hamster in both good and bad situations. When it comes to bad situations the hamster can easily suffer from several illnesses and health conditions. This includes conditions that their eyes may suffer.

Closed hamster eyes are also called sticky eyes, which is a common problem in most hamsters. This happens when the hamster secretes fluids from its eyes whenever it is sleeping so that the eyes stay moist. However, the fluid may end up drying up and hardening around the eyes of the hamster preventing it from opening them. Sticky eye is a really common problem that hamsters often go through because it is simply one of the inconveniences that come with one of their natural bodily functions.

That is why you should know more about sticky eye so that you would be able to help your pet the next time it suffers from this condition. Table of Contents What causes a sticky eye in hamsters? How to treat sticky eye in hamsters? Hold the hamster gently2. Go get a cotton swab or a Q tip and wet it with lukewarm water3. Preventing sticky eyeCan sticky eye kill a hamster?

What causes a sticky eye in hamsters? At a lot of points in your life, you may have yawned whenever you were so sleepy and your eyes began releasing fluids that will eventually dry up around your eyes and harden.

This is also common early in the morning upon waking up when the fluids that your eyes released while you were sleeping had dried up to form some sort of sand-like sediments around your eyes.

Hence, that is where the sandman concept comes from. While you may have experienced this as a human, animals also go through a similar experience as well. Yes, this includes your pet hamsters and a lot of other animals as the sandman of the animal world also tends to visit them while they are sleeping.

However, the difference here when it comes to you and your hamster is that it can be a bit more serious when it comes to your pocket-sized pet. When a hamster is sleeping, its eyes need to secrete a fluid that is meant to keep their eyes moist because dry eyes can eventually lead to serious health conditions.

But the fluids secreted by their eyes will eventually dry up and harden around the eyes. Sticky eye is much more common in hamsters that are a bit older because of how they need their eyes to secrete more fluid.

However, even younger hamsters may also end up suffering from this condition as well. As such, it is one of the most common problems that hamsters face on a regular basis. In fact, most sticky eye cases can be remedied at home even if you are not an expert in handling hamsters. All you have to do is to follow these simple steps: 1. Go get a cotton swab or a Q tip and wet it with lukewarm water Find a cotton swab or a Q tip in your home and wet it with lukewarm water.

As such, what we need to do here is to use the Q tip or the washcloth to gently wipe away the crusted substances. The moisture from the wet Q tip or cloth will soften the dried up substance to make it easier for you to wipe it off the eyes of your hamster. Gently break the substance down until it is easier and easier for you to wipe it away. In some cases, holding the Q tip or washcloth on the eyes of your hamster may already be enough for the substance to soften up to the point that the hamster will be able to open its eyes again.

Trust us when we say that some hamsters are too afraid to open their eyes thinking that the dried-up substance is still there. In such a case, what you need to do is to gently pull the eyelids apart using your fingers. However, if you are finding it difficult to do this or if the hamster is resisting, stop right there.

Go get another Q tip or washcloth and repeat the same process over and over again because there might be some stubborn dried up fluids that you probably missed the first time around. This allows you to prevent the buildup of any dried up fluid.

However, if the problem still persists or if your hamster is quite prone to this condition, you may have to bring it to a vet so that your hamster can get checked for any other possible reason why it is getting sticky eyes more often than most other hamsters.

Can sticky eye kill a hamster? Another good news about hamster sticky eye is that it is not fatal or even very harmful to the hamster on a regular basis. In some cases, your hamster may even find itself bumping into objects due to their impaired eyesight. But how do they work? What do hamster cheek pouches do? Are there problems your hamster can develop with his cheeks? The hamster can eat and run with his cheeks full, with no problem. In the wild the hamster actually travels large distances with his cheeks full, so he can cover more ground without returning to his nest often to attract predators.

This also means that the hammy can sprint at the drop of a hat with his groceries in tow, if he has to. Imagine a hammy running in slo-mo through the dessert, at night, chased by an owl. All while pushing a shopping cart with all his might. Sometimes, parts of whatever the hamster puts in his cheeks end up in his mouth.

For example the paper towels or toilet paper squares your hammy hides in his cheeks can have small bits that end up swallowed. Even if he uses them for nesting purposes, it still happens. If you want a more scientific take on hamster cheek pouches, and want to know more in-depth about them, you should definitely check out this study by ScienceDirect.

Hammies store food and nesting material in their cheeks Most of the time hamsters store food in their cheeks. He might run around for a couple of minutes though, since the food can stay there for a few hours if it has to.

Be careful what you feed your hammy though, since very sharp or crumbly foods can give him a cut and cause serious problems in his cheeks. Actually, you can get a better idea of what to feed your hammy here, with a list of safe and unsafe foods to feed your hamster. Hamsters also store nesting material in their cheeks, like dried leaves, twigs, and grass.

The cheeks are emptied when the hamsters reach their nest In the wild, hamsters travel far and wide to get their food. One night! Once he does get home he can empty his accumulated stash, and enjoy a quiet dinner by himself, no predators around. He can stop at any point during his run and just grab a snack from one if his cheeks, and then keep running. But for the most part, the cheeks are unloaded once the hamster reaches a safe place. What about your domestic, cuddly friend?

Hamsters do have stashes, both in the wild and in the comfort of your home. Imagine your hamster having an entire organize pantry, with all the foods. Hamsters actually routinely sort through their stashes, and throw out moldy or wilted food. Why hamsters have cheek pouches at all Well, hamsters have cheek pouches for 2 major reasons: to hoard food, and to be able to run away if they have to.

Given their small size, many animals are larger than them. The other reason hamsters evolved to have a cheek pouch is that the terrain hamsters live on is not very rich. In that, not may things grow in the regions hamsters come from. The wild parts, where the hamsters live, are not very easy to live in.

So hamsters have to make do with dry grains, a few seeds, a stray veggie here and there. They might find a worm or cricket and eat that too. In short, hamsters have to travel far and wide in order to find enough food. And in the end, when they come home, they will add it to their stash. In all of these cases the hamster should be taken immediately to the veterinarian, who will be able to give him medical care.

Sometimes bits of food or nesting material get stuck, for various reasons. The hamster can try to get all of it out, but sometimes it just literally gets stuck. Those food and nesting material particles can rot and develop into an abscess if left uncheckes, which is not safe for the hamster. So, this is a case that can be mostly avoided by being careful what foods you give your hammy.

Never give him anything sticky or moist. For example a sticky noodle will be identified by the hammy as a grain, an stored for later.

Protein like meat or egg is eaten immediately, grains not so much. So a sticky noodle or pasta will get shoved into the cheek, where it will leave residue for the next food item to stick to and so on. Abscess in the pouch An abscess can form for several reasons, but the end result is the same.

A small bag of pus forms, and not only is it painful for the hamster, it is also toxic. Once the pus breaks and spreads into the cheek, the hamster might swallow it and develop another disease known as sepsis. Best to avoid that completely. You can make sure your hamster has a very small chance of forming an abscess by never giving him something sharp to eat. For example something very extremely dry, like the crust on some bread types. He could hurt himself on something in the cage, or develop a tooth problem that needs fixing — more on hamster dental issues here.

An abscess is not easy to spot, so you must be careful to look for a constantly swollen cheek. Tumors Hamsters, like rats, can develop tumors in the head area. Hamsters tend to get them in their pouches, which will impact how well they can eat and store food. They are available, but removing the tumor without harming the hamster or incapacitating him in some way is very hard.

That being said, there is no known, clear way to avoid your hamster getting a cancerous tumor. Everted inside-out cheek pouches These can happen sometimes, and no one knows very well why it happens. Those are, fortunately, easy to treat. Your vet will be able to put the pouch back in its place, and make sure it stays in place afterwards. Yes, he can totally do that. All you can do is keep your hamster healthy and safe by giving him good, safe food, safe bedding and nesting material, and keeping him as stress-free as possible.

Hamsters make great pets, but they are very sensitive. As such, I would only recommend them to people who have the time and patience to work with them. I know us hammies look cute with out cheeks full.

But we do have cheek pouch problems, you know. We rely on you to keep us safe and healthy. If you want to know more about us hammies, and how to care for us better, then check the articles below for more details A Word On Hamster Mating If you own a female hamster, you will need to know about her menstrual cycle, and if she bleeds during her period. Or if she even gets a period at all. Not all creatures are the same. Table of Contents So do hamsters get periods?

Genital problems in female hamstersA word from Teddy So do hamsters get periods? No, not the same way other female mammals do. This repeats every 4 days, and the window in which the female is available for breeding is only 12 hours long, at night. On that night, she gives off a strong smell, to attract the male hamster.

This starts once the hamster becomes sexually mature around 8 weeks and lasts until she either dies, or becomes too old. How you can tell your hamster is in heat Aside from the strong smell the female gives off, there are other signs. For example on the day when the female is available day 2 of her cycle , she will secrete a whitish substance that also contributes to the general smell around her.

By the end of her cycle day 3 and 4 the substance secreted from the genital opening becomes drier, more waxy. You will notice the hamster is more agitated, and if you stroke her back she will flatten her body and splay her legs.

Then everything starts again, with the thinner secretions on the first day. Female hamsters have regular whitish secretions, much like human females. This will continue until the hamster becomes pregnant, and them resume after she gives birth.

And this will continue until she falls pregnant again, or become too old a sort of menopause. Pregnancies in hamsters older than 15 weeks is not recommended, since it often has many complications. Anything between 10 to 15 weeks is fine.

As for how early you can start breeding the hamsters, the male is said to be in peak between week 10 and 14, while the female can start as soon as she 10 weeks. When you do introduce the female to the male to let them mate, you should take a few precautions.

Even though the female is willing to mate, she will not always accept the male. This can vary from hamster to hamster, but the mating ritual is a bit violent. There will be tussling and a bit of fighting. There are times when the male is either weak, or the female is too violent.

This means that male needs to be removed and a different male introduced, possibly one who can stand against her. This needs to be done in the evening, when the female wakes up, and her secretion is whitish and fairly thin. She should be on her second day, right in the middle of the cycle.

It only lasts for 12 hours, and the male only has that one night to impregnate her. This is kind of an actual plug, made of the male sperm, and the female excretions. This is the most obvious and definitive sign that the male has successfully impregnated the female. Another sign, in case you missed the plug, is the fact that the hamster will still secrete a whitish substance but this will be consistent, creamy, and whitish.

There will be no thin secretion, only the thick one for the following 5 days. After that night, the pair needs to be separated. The gestation period varies from hamster breed to breed, but generally is between 16 to 22 days.

Dwarf hamsters have the longest pregnancy while the Syrian hamsters have the shortest pregnancy. Also, more nesting material is required, since she will start building this big, warm, sprawling nest for her and the babies. She will use all of it. Pregnancy and birth of the hamster litter The female needs to be kept alone, away from her cage mates, so nothing can disturb her. Once her due date approaches she will become restless, she will eat more, and she will stop using her wheel.

She might be sleeping or just resting more. You might see a drop of blood or two just before the birth. On the day of birth, you need to make sure she has a good stock of food and water on hand. She will stand up, and deliver one baby hamster. She will clean him, sever the umbilical cord, tidy around the nest or take a short nap, and a few minutes later deliver the second baby, and so on until all babies have been born and cleaned.

Once she is done, she will be very tired, and irritable. Be sure to leave her alone completely, and only bring food and give it through the cage bars. Do not try to peek at the babies or poke at her.

So not clean her cage, neither spot-clean nor completely clean. This will be the norm for about 2 weeks after she has given birth. The babies are born hairless and blind, and will suckle from her until they reach 4 weeks of age. That is when she will wean them, and you will need to separate them into same-sex groups to avoid surprise litters. Do hamsters bleed during their period? No, not usually. There might be a drop of blood every now and again for some hamsters.

But a hamster period does not include a heavy, bloody flow like in human females. This means that if your hamster is a female, and she bleeds during each of her periods, you should have her checked out. It could be the a urinary tract infection that went very far. Or it could be an internal injury, especially if the bleeding is fairly constant over a few hours.

Another problem is pyometra. It will be noticeable, and especially smelly since for the most part it will be pus. This is more common in older hamsters, rather than young ones, so take that into account. Keep in mind that some hamsters simply have this habit, and will have their teeth on the bars or anything else often, just because. Table of Contents So why do hamsters chew on the cage bars? A word from Teddy So why do hamsters chew on the cage bars?

Hamsters are rodents, so they will chew on everything by default. Teeth growing — rodent teeth never stop growing, they must always chew and nibble on something. Hammies are known to be quiet pets, but having them chew on the bars is incredibly annoying. About rodents and chewing in general All rodents — hamsters, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, squirrels, and so on — have an innate need to chew. Their teeth never stop growing.

So, rodents need to constantly chew and nibble on something. This is normal for them, and is a very good habit to have in order to file down their teeth. But what about pet rodents? And still, his teeth are always growing and always need to be filed down. Another thing about rodents, they like to try everything out with their teeth as well. So be prepared for this happening again and again.

However you can do a few things to lower the chances of your hamster chewing on the bars. Get your hamster a larger cage One of the reasons, maybe half the time, is that hamsters are kept in way too small cages. The hamsters end up feeling cramped and grumpy. It varies from hamster to hamster type, but the absolute minimum is 24 x 12 inches, and about 12 inches tall. Hamsters need a lot of space, they run around a lot, they sprint at the drop of a feather, and will burrow often. The small, square cages you can pick up at the pet shop — the ones that are most commonly sold when you get your hammy — are way too small.

You can find a good guide on hamster cages here. Always go for a bigger cage, with lots of floor space. They need to be able to hide from each other, run away, and have large spaces for themselves if they need to.

Hamsters are rodents, so their teeth will always grow. So, they will always need to file them down. There is not much you can do about this, other than giving the hamster chew toys. Your hammy will always try to put its teeth on everything. Sometimes to chew, sometimes to try them out. But there are moments when they chewing will happen often. This is when their teeth get sort of growth spurts, and the hammies will feel the instinctive need to chew on something.

Like with any illness, your hamster may have symptoms similar to wet tail without wet tail being present. It is important to be very clear with your vet and have the animal checked.

The outlook for wet tail is not usually a positive one, especially in very young, very old or very sick hamsters that have gone untreated. Remember to get your pet immediately to the vets if you suspect wet tail or another health condition.

Deaths can be prevented and illnesses CAN be treated. With proper care, there is no reason why your friend cannot make a full recovery in time. It is not meant to substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, or formal and individualized advice from a veterinary medical professional. Animals exhibiting signs and symptoms of distress should be seen by a veterinarian immediately. Just took 3 syrian babies age weeks from local pet store and all of them are died in 2 days.

Seems one of them having this nightmare called wet tail and spread to the others. I've tried to seperated them to the other cages after the first one died. But it was too late. Grace, what is an "aswel"? This word does not exist, so I am unsure of your full sentence. Did you mean his face looks wet and swollen? Please clarify. Before i took him his face was fine, however i have noticed since he has been home his face looks wet aswel. Is this something the antibiotics do?

Hope it will help them recover,no vet n our place. My hamster is very still and sleeping a lot he also has his eyes shut he also has a really bad smell the last couple of weeks does anyone know what this could be. I'm pretty sure my hamster has wet tail. He has been having gunk and what I thought was a small cut around his eye. I just noticed that his tail is a little wet and sticking out more. I think this may be the early stages of wet tail.

Be sure to provide clean, fresh bedding for your healthy hamsters. Keep an eye on them for symptoms of illness. You can help prevent contagion by keeping new hamsters separate from other hamsters until you have had your hamster examined by a veterinarian or at least a week has passed without signs of illness.

Wet tail is not always preventable, but following these steps will give your hamster their best shot at avoiding it. But it is the most frequently seen hamster disease, so it always pays to know the symptoms. Some hamsters do recover from wet tail disease. The faster you get your hamster in for treatment, the greater the chances are that he will make a full recovery.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Squeaks and Nibbles. Share on Facebook. Hamster Sand Bath Guide. Can Hamsters Drink Milk? Please enter your comment! Please enter your name here. You have entered an incorrect email address! Can Hamsters Eat Bananas? Do Guinea Pigs Have Tails? Hamsters of any breed and age can contract wet tail. However, there are certain criteria that can mean that there is a greater or lesser chance of having the illness.

Teddy Bear hamsters are most at risk due to their long fur, as are Syrian hamsters under the age of 12 weeks. Elderly hamsters are also a high-risk group in any breed as they often cannot clean themselves thoroughly due to their age.

Roborovski dwarf hamsters are the least likely to ever suffer with wet tail. The only cure for wet tail is antibiotic treatment available from your vet. Even if you notice the smallest sign of wet tail, ring your vets and make an appointment immediately. Wet tail can cause hamsters to die within 48 hours of the first symptoms showing.

Your vet will prescribe your hamster with antibiotics and anti-diarrhoea medication. Depending on how dehydrated your hamster is your vet may provide intravenous liquids.

Otherwise your hamster will be allowed as much water through a normal bottle. On your return home, you should isolate your hamster from any others as wet tail is extremely contagious. Make sure you clean their cage regularly to prevent reinfection and keep them warm, clean and nourished. Unfortunately, wet tail is one of those diseases that can occur regardless of how well you look after your hamster.